Price wheel setting mechanism



Feb. 8, 1949. o. WILD, JR

PRICE WHEEL SETTING MECHANISM 2 Sheets-$11951: 1

Filed NOV. .15, 1946 Feb. 8, O. WILD, JR PRICE WHEEL SETTING MECHANISM Filed Nov. 15, 1946 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Jig 57 36 0 44 I Na iii/ nf Elma/Mm I Patented Feb. 8, 1949 PRICE WHEEL SETTING MECHANISM Otto Wild, In, West Hartford, Conn., assignor to Veeder-Root Incorporated, Hartford, Gonna,

a corporation of Connecticut Application November 15, 1946, Serial No. 709,957]

8 Claims. I

The present invention relates to a price wheel setting device for a variator of the type adapted to be selectively adjusted to vary the imput from a meter or similar device to a register in accordance with varying costs per unit of the material or operations being counted or dispensed, said device being effective for automatically setting the price wheels to indicate the adjusted output to the register. I It is an object of the invention to provide a price wheel setting device for a variator which is of simple design and may be readily manufactured and assembled, and which does not interfere in any way with the desired operation of the variator.

Another object of the invention is to provide a price wheel setting arrangement which is characterized by its ease of operation. It is an aim to provide a device which includes a minimum of moving parts and requires no fixed connection between it and the manually operated elements of the variator which are selectively set to vary the output of the variator in accordance with fluctuations in the price per unit of the material or operations being counted or dispensed.

A further object of the invention is to provide such a price wheel setting device which will be entirely accurate in operation and which will be effective to actuate identical sets of price wheels on opposite sides of the variator and to rotate these price wheels in opposite directions so that the numerals on the price wheels appear in the windows of the variator in the same direction, 1. e., from the top or bottom.

Other objects will be inpart obvious and in part pointed out more in detail hereinafter.

The invention accordingly consists in the features of construction, combination of elements and arrangements of parts which will be exemplified in the construction hereafter set forth and the scope of the application of which will be indicated in the appended claims.

In the drawings- Figure l is a front view of a variator embodying the device of the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a cross sectional view taken along the line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a cross sectional view taken along the line 3-4 of Fig. 2; and i Fig. 4 is a cross sectional view taken along the line 4-4 of Fig. 2.

Referring to the drawings, the present invention is embodied in a variator Iii, some of the details of which are omitted orshown only diagrammatically as they form no part of the present in-' vention. For the purposes of describing and providing the proper setting for the present invention, only the salient features of the variator need be described.

In the embodiment shown in the drawings, the variator l0 comprises a generally rectangular housing or frame il having windows l2 and HR at either end through which may be viewed price wheels l3, l4 and I5 and price wheels i3R, MR and ISR, respectively. The price wheels i3 and NR are referred to herein as the tenths cent wheels inasmuch as they have indicia thereon ranging from 0 to "fi and are utilized to indicate the fraction of a cent making up the particular price per unit of the material being counted or dispensed. These tenths cent wheels i3 and HR are arranged diagonally across from each other so that they appear at the right-hand side of each set of price wheels regardless of the end of the variator from which the price wheels are viewed. The price wheels l4 and HR. are hereinafter referred to as the units wheels and are positioned directly opposite from each other so'that they appear centrally of each set of number wheels. The units wheels I and HR have indicia thereon ranging from 0 to 9 and are utilized to indicate the units of the price of the material being counted or dispensed. The price wheels [5 and [SR are referred herein as the ten cent price wheels and they contain indicia thereon ranging from 1 to "4 for the purpose of indicatin the first integer of the price per unit of material being counted or dispensed. These ten cent price wheels i5 and |5R are disposed in a fashion similar to that of the tenths cent price wheels l3 and BE in that they are diagonally mounted so that they appear at the left side of each set of price wheel units regardless of the end of the variator from which the price wheels are viewed.

The set of price wheels I3, 14 and I 5 and the set of price wheels I SE, MR and ISR are mounted respectively on shafts l8 and ISR, rotatably mounted in the housing i l adjacent the windows i2 and HR, respectively. Referring to the set of price wheels [3, l4 and IS, the ten cent price wheel I5 and the units price wheel it are mounted so that they are freely rotatable on the shaft l6 while the tenths cent price wheel I3 is fixed thereto so as to rotate with the shaft [6. Referring to the opposite set of price wheels I3R, MR and HR, the units price wheel i R and the tenths cent price wheel ISR are mounted so as to be freely rotatable on the shaft 3B, and the ten cent price wheel IR is fixed to the shaft I8R so as to rotate thesewith.

The variator It is adapted to be connected, for example, between a meter or the like (not shown in the drawings) and a register (also not shown) 1 or registering the amount and cost of the fluid dispensed through the meter. The connector I! is provided for attachment directly or indirectly to the meter or similar device with which the variator is to be used. The connector I! is fixed to a central shaft l8 on which is mounted a cone of gears I9 by means of which varying outputs may be selectively obtained from the variator. The bevel gear 20 is adapted to be connected to the register to drive that portion of the register which counts or indicates the quantity of material being counted or dispensed. The bevel gear 28 is driven through a shaft by the driven gear 2i which is inmesh with the uppermost gear of the cone of gears i3. It thus will be seen that there is a direct and unvariable connection between the connector I! and the bevel gear 23 so that the output of the bevel gear 28 in relation to the rotation of the connector I! is constant.

The elements of the register arranged to indicate the cost of the material being counted or dispensed are adapted to be driven by a bevel gear 22 which is driven by the combined output of auxiliary shafts 23, 24 and 25 to be described more particularly hereinafter through an epicyclic train of gears denoted generally by the ref erence numeral 26. v The auxiliary shafts 23, 24 and 25 are-mounted parallel to the central shaft l8. Pivotally and slidably mounted intermediate its ends on the auxiliary shaft 23 is a lever arm21 hereinafter latches 42 are urged into engaging position by means of springs 43. In the operation of the latches 42 during manipulation of the range levers, it will be apparent that the handle of the latch 42 may be pivoted inwardly toward the range lever, thereby withdrawing the pointed nose 4| from the indenture 48 whereupon the range lever is free to be moved to a new position, whereupon the latch 42 is released and it again engages one of the indentures 40.

The unit range lever 36 is received through an elongated slot 44 formed in a range plate 45 at the opposite side of the housing H. As previously described in connection with the range plate 36, the elongated slot comprises a plurality of the notches 39 and indentures 43 associated therewith and the range lever 39 also is provided with an identical latch d2, etc.

As previously mentioned, the ten cent range lever 33 positions the idler gear .34 and driven gear with respect to the cone of gears i3, range lever 33 being received through slot 3! and being provided with a latch 32 for retaining the lever selectively in one of the notches 39 by engagement with the associated indenture 43.

Access is had to the range levers'Zl, 30 and 33 through doors 46 and 47 pivoted on the housing ii at 48 and 49 respectively and releasably held in closed position by the keepers 58 and SI.

In accordance with the present invention, the price wheels I3, etc., and HR, etc., are set in accordance with the vertical position of the range levers 21, 3|] and 33. This is accomplished in a novel manner in accordance with the invention referred to as the tenths cent range lever. At

one end of the lever arm 211s rotatably mOlHItEG" an idler gear 28 which is adapted to be moved selectively into engagement with one of the gears of the cone of gears I9 by pivoting and sliding the lever arm 21 on the shaft 23. The idler gear 28 is in mesh with adriven gear 29 which is keyed to the shaft 23 so as to be slidable longitudinally thereon, but, when it is rotated, it rotates the shaft 23 therewith. A similar arrangement is provided for each of the remaining auxiliary shafts 24 and 25. The auxiliary shaft 24 is provided with a'lever arm 30 hereinafter referred to as the unit range lever, an idler gear 3| and a driven,gea r 32. The auxiliary shaft 25 is provided with a lever arm 33 hereinafter referred to as-the ten cent range lever, idler gear 34 and driven gear 35. I

The tenth cent range lever 21 and the ten cent range lever 33 are received respectively through elongated slots 36 and 31in a range plate 38 disposed along one side of the housing II. elongated slots 36 and 31 are inclined in conformity with the varying-diameters of the gears of thecone of gears I fl with'which the idler gears 28; and 34 are to be engaged. Along the outer edges of the slots 36 and 31 there are formed a plurality of notches 39 disposed at the levels of the gears with which the idler gears 28 and 34 are to be meshed. The elongated slots 36 and 3! The by the use of racks 52, 53 and 54 extending between the price wheels I3, etc., and I3R, etc., and adapted to be moved laterally up and down by movement of the range levers 21, 38 and 33.

Referring first to the rack 53 which is utilized to actuate the units price wheels I4 and I 4R and is referred to hereinafter as the units rack, it will be seen that this rack extends between the units price wheels I4 and I 4R and is oif-set at its center to accommodate itself to the cone of gears I9. The range lever 30 extends through a slot 55 which is sufiiciently long so as to permit free pivoting of the range lever, but is not materially wider than the width of the range lever sothat any vertical movement of the range lever 30 is transmitted thereto. In the specific embodiment shown, the slot 55 is also sufficiently long so as to accommodate the idler gear. 3i without interfering therewith. The rack 53 is formed v with a central guide member or a plate56 which is of greater length than the height of the housing II so that it maybe reciprocated within desired limits in guideways 51 and 58 disposed respectively in the top and bottom of the housing II. The guideways 51, and 58 permit free vertical movement of the rack 53, but are entirely effective to prevent any tilting of the rack. The

ends of the rack 53 are provided with teeth 59 and 59R which engage pinions 68 and MR. fixed to the cent or units price wheels I4 and MR respectively.

The racks 52 and 54 are similar except that. in the specific embodiment shown, the racks 52 and 54 extend along the outside of the range plate 38. As stated in connection with rack 53, slots 6i and 62 are provided for receiving the range levers 21 and 33 to permit free pivoting of the range levers but causing the racks to be moved vertically upon vertical movement of the range levers. Each of the racks 52 and 54 is provided with a center guide member or plate 63 and 64 respectively wl ich is similar to the guide plate 56 referred to above in connection with rack 53. The guide members 63 and 64 are received in side by side relationship through guideways 65 and 66 at the top and bottom of the housing H, respectively. The rack 52 has teeth 68 and 68R engaging, respectively, a pinion I fixed to the shaft I6 and a pinion 69 fixed to the tenths cent price wheel I3R. The rack 54 is formed with teeth H and HR which are in mesh respectively with a pinion I3 fixed to the ten cnt price wheel l5 and with a pinion I2 fixed to the shaft ISR. It will be observed that. in the specific embodiment shown, it is necessary to cross the racks 52 and 54 as at I4. This does not interfere with the operation of the particular device shown, however, because the ten cent range lever 33 which actuates the rack 54 is operable only at the lower portions of the cone of gears I9 while the tenths cent range lever 21 which actuates the rack 52 is operable only at the upper portions of the cone of gears l 9.

It will be readily observed that with the price wheel setting arrangement described above, the sets of price wheels I3 etc. and I3R etc. are rotated in opposite directions so that the indicia on these price wheels appear in the windows l2 and HR in the same direction when viewed from either end of the housing I I. This, taken in connection with the diagonal spacing of the ten cent price wheels I5 and |5R and tenths cent price wheels l3 and I3R. respectively, insures that the reading of the price wheels will be identical when viewed from either end of the variator.

The simple construction between the gear setting mechanism and the price wheel setting arrangement consisting merely of elongated slots in which range levers are freely pivotal insures a simplicity and ease of manufacture and assembly as well as accurate functioning of the device without breakage or malfunctioning.

As many changes could be made in the above construction and many apparently widely different embodiments of this invention could be made without departing from the scope thereof,

it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a variator, the combination comprising a rotatable shaft, a gear longitudinally slidable but. non-rotatably mounted on said shaft, a longitudinally movable lever arm arranged to Slide said gear longitudinally on the shaft, a plurality of spaced number wheels, a pinion for driving one of said wheels in line with a pinion for driving the second of said wheels, a rack member extending between said pinions and having teeth in mesh therewith, and means for slidably holding said rack member in non-pivoting position, said rack member having an opening through which is received said lever arm, whereby the longitudinal position of said gear is indicated by said number wheels.

2. In a variator, the combination comprising a frame, a shaft rotatably mounted on said frame, a gear longitudinally slidable but non-rotatably mounted on said shaft, a lever arm arranged to slide said gear longitudinally on the shaft, a

plurality of spaced number wheels rotatably mounted on said frame, a pinion for driving each of said number wheels, said pinions being mounted in the same plane parallel to the said shaft, a unitary rack member having parallel rows of teeth adapted to mesh respectively with said pinions, means for mounting the rack member on the frame with the rack member extending between and engaging said pinions and slidable longitudinally on the frame, and means interconnecting said lever arm and said rack so as to move the rack longitudinally in proportion to longitudinal movement of the lever arm, whereby the longitudinal position of said gear is indicated by said number wheels.

3. In a variator, the combination comprising a rotatable shaft, a lever arm pivotally mounted on the shaft and slidable laterally thereon, a pair of spaced number wheels, a pinion associated with each price wheel for turning same, a single unitary rack extending between and having parallel rows of teeth at either end engaging said pinions whereby lateral movement of the rack between the pinions will rotate the pinions simultaneously and in equal amount, said rack having a slot receiving said lever arm for permitting said lever arm to pivot independently of the rack but causing the rack to be moved laterally with the lever arm, and guide means for permitting said rack to slide laterally but nonpivotally with the lever arm.

4. In a variator, the combination comprising a vertical shaft, a lever arm horizontally pivotal and vertically slidable on the shaft, a pair of number wheels at substantially opposite sides of the shaft, a pair of in-line pinions operatively connected to each number wheel, respectively, a single unitary rack extending between and having parallel rows of teeth at either end engaging said pinions, said rack having a horizontal slot receiving said lever arm, and positioning means for the rack for preventing pivoting thereof while permitting the rack to slide freely vertically with the lever arm.

5. In combination with a variator comprising a vertically mounted rotatable shaft, a gear longitudinally slidable but non-rotatably mounted on saidshaft, a lever arm pivotally and slidably arranged to slide said gear longitudinally on the shaft, and a pair of spaced price wheels adapted to indicate the output of the variator as determined by the vertical positioning of the lever arm, means for setting said price wheels in accordance with the vertical positioning of the lever arm comprising a pinion associated with each price wheel for turning same, a rack extending longitudinally between said wheels and having teeth at either end engaging said pinions respectively and adapted to turn 'the pinions simultaneously and in equal amount when the rack is moved laterally in a vertical direction, a slot in said rack for receiving said lever arm, said slot permitting the lever arm to pivot independently of the rack but engaging the arm to cause the rack to be moved vertically when the arm is moved vertically, and positioning guide means for permitting lateral movement of the rack in a vertical direction but preventing pivoting thereof.

6. In a variator, the combination comprising a rotatable shaft, a gear longitudinally slidable but non-rotatably mounted on said shaft, a lever arm pivotally and slidably arranged on said shaft for positioning said gear, a pair of spaced number wheels, a pinion for driving each of said number wheels, a rack extending between and having teeth at either end engaging said pinions, said rack having a slot receiving said lever arm for permitting free pivoting of the lever arm but causing the rack to be moved laterally with the lever arm, a guide member on the rack extendshaft and the remaining wheel being fixed to the shaft, said fixed wheels and said other rotatable wheels being diagonally positioned from each other, a pinion fixed to each of said freely rotatable wheels and a pinion fixed to the shaft at the opposite end from said fixed wheel, three'vertically movable lever arms for setting the output of the variator, a vertically slidable rack extending between the pinions of said center wheels having a slot receiving one of said lever arms, a second vertically slidable rack extending between the pinion of the other freely rotatable wheel of the first set of number wheels and the pinion fixed to the shaft of the other set of number wheels, said second rack having a slot receiving the second of said lever arms, and a third vertically slidable rack extending between the pinion fixed to the shaft of the first set of number wheels and the pinion of the other freely rotatable wheel of the other set of number wheels, said rack having a slot receiving the third lever arm.

8. In a variator, the combination comprising 8 A s a frame, a plurality of parallel shafts rotitably mounted on the frame, a gear non-rotatably mo ted on each of" the shafts but slidable longit nally of the shafts, a pivoted lever arm slidable longitudinally of each of the shafts to fix the longitudinal position of the respective gears thereon, number wheels at opnosite ends of the frame, pinions for driving said wheelsat one end in alignment respectively with pinions for driving the number wheels at the other end, and a lateral movable rack member extending between each pair of aligned pinions having teeth engaging therewith for moving the pinions simultaneously during lateral movement of the rack, each of said rack members having a slot for receiving one of the lever arms to cause the rack to be moved laterally when said arm is moved longitudinally of the shafts.

O'ITO REFERENCES or'rnn The following references are of record in the file ofthis'patent:

UNITED STATES 

